The 2011 college baseball season starts today, but some coaches already have been driven batty.

The NCAA changed the specifications of aluminum bats for this season, going to a new measurement of the ball’s speed off the bat, technically called BBCOR (Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution) by the NCAA and its makers, and profanely called something else by coaches who believe the new bats will suck the power out of the game.

The new bats have a lower top-end speed for the ball off a bat in an effort to cut down on cheap home runs – something you never see at Blair Field – and injuries to pitchers and charging infielders.

Players and coaches say the new bat has a smaller sweet spot and will cut down on home runs as well as the aluminum-double-off-the-hands. Anyone attending a game will not only see this but hear this. When a batter hits a pitch square, it has the typical crack, or ping. There’s a clearly muted, almost dead sound of foul balls and pop ups.

Coaches in the SEC and ACC, where most of the parks are hitter-friendly, are already calling for changes in NCAA policy for 2012, and some coaches now say the college game should go to wood.

Most of the Dirtbags dislike the new bats, and Dirtbags coach Troy Buckley said he didn’t think there needed to be any changes. That said, there could be a modest advantage for teams that play small ball.

“It’s the same bat for everybody, so there’s no advantage there,” Buckley said. “But it could make the game a little more pitcher-oriented.”

The first Southern California 12 rankings follow with previews of each team, plus a quick glance at the Northern California Big West teams:

1. UCLA (51-17 last season, head coach John Savage): The Bruins’ run in Omaha stalled in the best-of-3 championship series against South Carolina but didn’t dim a sensational season overall. They could be even better this season and are ranked No. 2 by Baseball America. They return Baseball America preseason All-Americans Trevor Bauer (12-3, 3.02) and Gerrit Cole (11-4, 3.37) and have four promising freshmen, including Adam Plutko and Eric Jaffe, who signed with Cal but transferred when the school announced it might drop baseball. Six starters return to the lineup, including former St. John Bosco catcher Steve Rodriguez, Beau Amaral (.354), Dean Espy (.345, 52 RBIs) and Tyler Rahmatulla (45 RBIs).

5. San Diego (37-22, Rich Hill): The Toreros lost most of their top players from the last two seasons, including their entire rotation, but several good recruiting classes should keep them atop the West Coast Conference. Freshman pitcher Dylan Corey was a first-round pick but the pros backed off when he was diagnosed with diabetes, and first baseman Kris Bryant is also an impact freshman. Kevin Muno (.288), Eric Kometani (five home runs), Chris Jensen (2-0, 3.23) and Matt Thompson (1-3, 3.38) return.

6. San Diego State (28-28, Tony Gwynn): In the midst of recovering from cancer, Gwynn brings in one of his best recruiting classes with three stud pitchers in Philip Walbuy, Evan Thomas and Mike Hatchadorian, who played football at Whittier one season before a return to baseball. Freshman shortstop Cory Slater has been compared to Danny Espinosa. Bryan Crabb (4-5, 3.89), John Pecoraro (3-4, six saves), first baseman Jamal Torres (.316, 5, 42) and outfielders Brandon Meredith (.383, 7, 54) and Pat Colwell (.380 in 2009) return.

7. USC (28-32, Frank Cruz): The Chad Kreuter era ended poorly with the Trojans finishing last in the Pac-10. Cruz, the former Loyola Marymount coach who was an assistant last year, was named interim coach for 2011. The Trojans return four strong arms in Andrew Treggs (2-7, 3.95), Ben Mount (5-6, 4.32), Chad Smith (5-6, 4.47) and Chris Mezger (4-2, 4.56) and add JC transfer Austin Wood, a fourth-round pick a year ago. The offense will need someone to help Ricky Oropesa (.353, 20, 67).

8. Long Beach State (23-29, Troy Buckley): Buckley starts his head coaching career with just 13 returnees and the third-toughest schedule in the nation. If Dirtbags pride means anything, they’ll bounce back from two subpar seasons.

9. Pepperdine (24-30, Steve Rodriguez): Like the Dirtbags, the Waves have suffered two subpar seasons after several years as a postseason perennial. Offensively challenged last season, the Waves return just five wins among their pitchers and will depend on newcomers for any resurgence. Freshman pitcher Scott Frazier was a fifth-round pick a year ago.

11. Cal State Northridge (29-27, Matt Curtis): Steve Rousey was fired despite posting a winning record in 2010 and replaced by former Fresno State assistant Curtis. The offense lost four of its top hitters but returns outfielder Ridge Carpenter (.298) and three veteran pitchers, including junior Justen Gorski (5-3).

12. UC Santa Barbara (24-30, Bob Brontsema): It could be a critical year for Brontsema, whose teams have struggled and have reached the postseason once since 1996. Pitchers Jesse Meaux (8-3, 4.41), Greg Davis (2-2, 4.91) and Kevin Gelinas (3.60 in four appearances) provide a nucleus, but the offense returns just two notables, Mark Haddow (six home runs) and Trevor Whyte (.304, five homers).

Other Big West teams: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (23-32, Larry Lee) finished the 2011 season with a rush and the team hopes its pitching staff will stay healthy after a plague of injuries, topped by Steven Fischback, who last pitched in 2008. Outfielders Bobby Crocker (.351, 49 RBIs) and Mitch Haniger (.326, 46 RBIs) return. … Pacific (32-23, Ed Sprague) was one of the most improved teams in the nation last season and was on target for a postseason bid before a late-season slump and low RPI ended its hopes. Pacific lost its offensive power and key pitchers from ’10. First baseman Brian Martin (.364), outfielder Brett Christopher (.312, 5, 39) and pitchers Robbie Richardson (3.26) and Marcus Pointer (7-5, 4.58) return. … UC Davis (26-29, Rex Peters) returns its top four hitters including Eric Johnson (.343), David Popkins (.388, 5, 43) and Scott Lyman (.356, 5, 40), but pitching (6.68 ERA) was the main issue last season and may be again.

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